The dreaded n-word

The other day, I was reading my new issue of XXL with Jay-Z on the cover when I got to thinking about cracka-ass crackas who call their black friends nigga. This seems to be becoming more and more commonplace in the world of hip-hop. I wonder if that’s a problem or not.

Towards the end of magazine, sandwiched between ads for glow in the dark, Juggalo-looking gold fronts, and mail-order ghetto pr0n videos (Bootyville looks tempting), there’s an interview with Ghostface Killah’s tour DJ J-Love, a big Cal from Sanford and Son-looking cracka-ass cracka. I’ve seen Ghostface live twice in the past few months, and even the second time I was like, who’s that big Cal from Sanford and Son-looking cracka-ass cracka. Oh wait, that’s J-Love.

Apparently, in addition to White Castles, J-Love has a penchant for tossing n-bombs. But he doesn’t see it as an issue. As the man himself put it, “I ain’t got a racist bone in my body. I’m color blind. I don’t have no hate in my heart, that’s why I say what I say. Other people may see people a certain way and not feel comfortable, but I grew up on the streets. And that’s the way I grew up talking.” Which makes me wonder if J-Love calls Ghostface “nigga.” Maybe they’re cool like that.

And what about Ghostface’s FBI informant tour manager Mike Caruso. I wonder if he’s all like, Wake up nigga, we gotta show to do! Which would be weird for me not only because he’s white, but because he’s essentially Ghostface’s boss. If Natalie Portman wanted to call me a nigga during sex, I might find it bothersome, but of course I’d be willing to let it slide. But if my boss at the BGM started calling me that, I’d beat that cracka-ass cracka like he owed me money.

So obviously there’s a bit of a gray area.

Back when I started blogging a few years ago, I’d use the n-word every now and again just because I found it a convenient way to refer to black people. After a while though, I began to replace it with the term jig, not so much because I found the n-word offensive, but because the word jig suggests a continuity between the minstrel show era of black entertainment and today, which I find appropriate. The term nigga had almost gotten a bit too empowering.

Of course it’s different for people who aren’t black and write regularly about hip-hop. For example, I noticed the other day that when quoting song lyrics, the Village Voice’s Tom Breihan has begun substituting the term ninja for the n-word. I wonder if this was in response to XXL’s own kris ex accusing him of purposely going out of his way to quote lyrics that include the n-word – a claim which, admittedly, I found rather specious at the time. But who knows.

I’m sure it’s weird for white kids who live hip-hop as much as any black person to not be able to use such a common bit of language, especially when black kids are still throwing it around like it’s going out of style. I communicate almost entirely in offensive humor and even I’d find it weird if I had some cracka-ass cracka calling me nigga as if he was, um, my grandmother. From what I understand though, younger kids and people from “the streets” might not see it that way.

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now THIS was a blog worth making. let’s kill this dead horse once and for all. if you’re not black, leave the n-word alone. black people, we’ll do the huddle eventually and talk ourselves out of using that word. everybody else that’s non-black, including fat joe’s chubby a$$, needs to fall back on the n-word.

http://www.saywordatl.com Jo Van Gogh

Hmm…interesting topic.

Personally, I think it’s messed up for anyone to use the n-word ( although it slips out of my mouth all too often )

But to hear a white kid use the word would raise my ire to say the least. I’d probably try to grab the lil fucker up by his shirt collar and smack fire out of his ass. But I digress.

We can only blame this new phenomenon on ourselves. our generation ( 25 year olds and older ) doesn’t really fight the good fight like the generations before us, so we allow the media, the politicians, and even our “brothers and sisters” to degrade and misrepresent us as a whole.

We have the economic voice that our parents and grandparents didn’t have so why don’t we use it to flex that political muscle ? Is it apathy ? Is it complacency ? Or do we really see ourselves the way they portray us ?

I know that there is a lot of “us vs. them” mentality among young blacks now. I’m guilty of it myself. Maybe when we see shit like MTV’s where my dogs at…or we see Fabo cooning it up for the camera we simply choose to use the power of our dollars to make astatement as opposed to boycotting the shit out of universal records and viacom…like our elders would have.

However, the problem with that is…there are more ingorant blacks and whites and latinos than there are who are aware of their surroundings, their representation in the media, and the power of their dollar.

To quote this cat who blogs on xxl

“Phonte was right”

http://www.allhiphop.com Rey

LOL… I haven’t even read the post yet.. That one made me laugh, Transi.

http://www.dmcworld.com/technics2004/video/2004dj1-100k.wvx DWOP

Watched “Springer” lately? Half them crackas on there are more niggas than your ass is…

http://www.allhiphop.com Rey

Holy Shit.. This was actually an extremely well put, thought provoking article, especially in the light of that Wop from Staten Island going to butt-sex prison for beating up a guy after saying “Yo what up, Nigga!”.

It’s an annoying grey area, but one that we’re all gonna have to deal with. It’s that old “I can talk bad about my family but nobody else can.” kinda thing.

I myself and puerto rican/cuban so I can use virtually any slur I want Carlos Mencia Style and get away with it.

I choose not to, however, because it’s much more satisfying to say “motherfucker” than any of the racial slurs.

Hey Bol, Did you see Clerks II? There’s an interesting (and hi-larious) discussion and running gag involving the term “Porch Monkey” that fits very well with this particular post.

UNO!

Sarutama

“i think u a faggit ass dreaded n-word bol”

Quote of the fucking week!

Not that I agree, but damn that was funny.

lukee lefty

blah, blah, blah if you arent black dont use the word nigga, if u arent white then dont use the word cracka, spics for spic, and only jews can use kike, bitches call each other bitches, hoes for hoes.

this topic is unessacary if a white kid calls me a nigga im not gonna fight him but i will tell him to fuck himself however if i was fucking a bad ass white girl i’d let her call me nigga cause that some freaky ass shit, word

http://www.saywordatl.com Jo Van Gogh

ignorance really is bliss isn’t it ?

I Fux

i use the word nigga very much so in my everyday language (I am hispanic/arabic) and used to not so much hesitate or find myself catching the word before it came out. but now as I get older and no longer feel the same freedom to use the word wherever and whenever, just for the reason that it may be disrespectful to elders and others, things I didnt give a flying fuck about as an adolescent, well anyways I do still use it only when its regarding my friends who in turn say it to me

http://www.allhiphop.com Rey

What about “Nigga Please”? That’s funny, dammit!

DJLL

Wzup my niggaz… Yo, I’m Cuban American and I’ve been discriminated for my looks my whole life. Shit, the white kids in my class were pussies and didn’t say shit to the black kids, but to me they said a bunch of racist shit. Me? I ain’t no motherfuckin white kid… I can’t relate to them pussies…I use the word “nigga” in a few of my songs and my niggaz don’t give me shit about it because they know I don’t mean disrespect with it– Fuck a cracka-ass nigga though for reals…

DJLL

What about “white niggaz.” Like, man fuck them white niggaz, they ain’t know shit about that word…

big rizz

I hate niggas but i love black folks. Hell no them crackas cant all me a nigga. What if i went up to a white dude and said what up cracka? That shit would be on the front page of the paper.

yoo yall dont own any muthafuckin words, its any mothafuckas word to use. as long as you straight hood you could use it.

http://www.myspace.com/bonesdaddy Bones (daddy)

What I don’t get is why white people, or anyone else for that matter, should care enough to WANT to use the word. who cares that you can’t say it, if you have black friends and this and that, what would make you want to say it. other than a racist epithet, the n-word doesn’t really have any purpose…am I wrong?

http://www.myspace.com/bonesdaddy Bones (daddy)

does making you ethnic allow you to ‘use any racial slur’ you want? I’m Jewish, but I’m still pretty convinced that I shouldn’t say the n-word, because i’ve broken a knuckle over being called yahoodi, dirty jew and kike.it’s all context i guess.

E

You shouldnt be as worried about white suburb kids droppin N bombs wit their friends than you should wit the red neck fucks down south that’ll drop the N bomb and burn a cross on ur front lawn. And whats up wit this ignorant fuck writing this blog droppin “cracka ass cracka” while complaining about racism. Dude sounds mad stupid.

IM A BAY NIGGA

fuck them “cracka ass crackas”

Sonny Cheeba

lukee lefty Says:

July 27th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
blah, blah, blah if you arent black dont use the word nigga, if u arent white then dont use the word cracka, spics for spic, and only jews can use kike, bitches call each other bitches, hoes for hoes.

this topic is unessacary if a white kid calls me a nigga im not gonna fight him but i will tell him to fuck himself however if i was fucking a bad ass white girl i’d let her call me nigga cause that some freaky ass shit, word

>> But if my boss at the BGM started calling me that, I’d beat that cracka-ass cracka like he owed me money.

NIGGA YOU CANT FIGHT..UR LARRY B(bol). SCOTT….

BELIZE

>What do you ‘bags think?

^ I SAY “SHUT DA FUCK UP” AND WATCH THE BOONDOCKS..NUCCA!!!

Boner Jams ’03

I really don’t give a fuck…WORST blog ever

UnFaded Disciple

Where my credit @ for my cassie info Bol!?

Anywayz people, shouldn’t use the N-word(nigga) in a disrespectful way, but it’s just a word.

Nigger would be totally different though…

Boner Jams ’03

WHo really gives a fuck???WORST blog ever

UnFaded Disciple

Fuck whoever it was who mentioned it in the comments the other day. They were just speculating. I’m the first person who found out for sure.
In the comments of my post the other day about P. Diddy, someone mentioned the lyrics of Cassie’s hit single “Me & U” are all about giving a guy a blow job.-Bol

^^^^
UnFaded Disciple Says:

July 26th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
OMFG…I was the first person to say Cassie was giving head on that comment section. I knew b4 you did Bol no joke, you better put my name somewhere in ya next post mayne!!!

UnFaded Disciple Says:

July 12th, 2006 at 7:11 am
ahhaha Have yall seen that one unrelease video with Cassie? She actually sings about giving dudes head…

Being a cracka-ass cracka, it’s a word I definetely avoid. But if I’m quoting a Biggie line or some shit, I’ll drop it. Anyway, I think it’s one of those things white folks shouldn’t ever say, under any circumstances. It ain’t “just a word.” And it’s why Eminem uses “faggot” instead.

eauhellzgnaw

> “does making you ethnic allow you to ‘use any racial slur’ you want? I’m Jewish, but I’m still pretty convinced that I shouldn’t say the n-word, because i’ve broken a knuckle over being called yahoodi, dirty jew and kike.it’s all context i guess.”

“Yahoodi” is a real slur? Damn.

Black folks definitely shouldn’t be saying it around youngsters and non black folks. Nobody should be saying “nigga” period. It’s stupid. True, ignorant black people are to blame for its popularity, and the double standard isn’t fair, but if a white dude gets stole on for saying it, I’d have no sympathy for him.

11kap

A white person should say nigga only if he is trying to piss a nigga off and get stole on. Otherwise, if you aren’t looking for a fight, don’t say the shit unless you are a nigga. It’s all context like the jewish guy said already. read your history.

Meka Soul

>t’s a word I definetely avoid. But if I’m quoting a Biggie line or some shit, I’ll drop it.>

isn’t that contradicting?

anyways, nobody should say the shit. i don’t wanna sound like a preachy, stick-up-the-ass [no lance bass] jig, but if black people don’t want other people to say it, maybe they shouldn’t say it either.

but if mu’fucks say the word 25x a day, they shouldn’t get asshurt [again, no lance bass] when they hear non-black people saying it.

but i did have a paleface jumped in his college apartment when he called me that [in the insulting way].

http://UG-RS.com Tyler

I was in the spot Envy in New York like back in 97 or 98 at some jump off hip hop night and it was like a mostly white hip hop crowd cause the promoter was this white kid getting mad paper off the black vibe in hip hop right and boom I am jammin’ like getting it off wit’ a couple of white chics in the crowd on the floor and the Dj went into one of them Jay Z joints ‘dat all U new york people love where he be sayin nigga alot. The Dj was stoppin’ the beat and the mostly white crowd was chanting everytime the word nigga came up right along wit’ the track. My dawgs, I am from the South born & raised but I lived a long 7 years in N.Y. and I got mad close real true white boys down wit’ me but at that moment with the way they were sayin’ that shit all happy and shit I wanted 2 kill every white person in dat motherfucker. . We as black people ain’t got much in this world but on the streets not the movies but in the real world. . .They should not be able 2 say ‘dat word cause we took it from them and it belongs 2 us now. They can have ‘dat 40 acres & a damn Mule, but we ain’t givin’ Nigga back.

JonesBoyz

I wish a cracka ass cracka would…..

Corinne

If I hear a white person saying that, I would laugh and then right uppercut them. Being biracial, people biracial shouldn’t even being saying that it’s almost just as bad a white person saying it. Why I said “almost’ is because the obvious history between the whites and African Americans. And for the African American race using it, it’s just damn disrespectful because no matter how you change it, it’s still the word that the whites use to employ.

outda954

LOL, cracka ass cracka. I don’t hear too many white people saying “niggas” around here. The majority of the word’s users are black and hispanic.

carol taylor evans

07-26-06
I dont get it. I dont see nothing wrong with saying hey whats up my nigga, as long as you and that person got that kind of relationship. I wouldnt say it, if I was dealing with a professional or a job interview etc,
what I dont get, is we can say cracker, and as soon as a white person
nigga, we get all upset. it works both ways. I dont have no problem with white or black calling me nigga. as long as know we have that understanding.
carol

thoreauly77

yes. very enlightening mr crawford. perhaps the next post will be about something equally as irrelevant, such as the existence of gawd… or maybe i meant irreverant? i don’t know nigga, whatchoo think?

5 STAR X-E-Q-SHUN

Being an Asian,it’s a word that I don’t use. Shit, unless dem clowns wanna start sumthin, don’t drop the N-BOMB.

Meka Soul

>I dont get it. I dont see nothing wrong with saying hey whats up my nigga, as long as you and that person got that kind of relationship.>

personally, i think most white people think it’ll make them seem cool to say it. stupid jigs.

Danja29

hell fukkin’ no. i’ve been sayin’ that, and people think i’m bein’ uptight or somethin’… fukk that. that shit ain’t cool and it ain’t gonna be. but i still know white people that try to get away with it on some ‘but you guys say it, why can’t we?’ BECAUSE YOU CAN’T muhfuckas, that’s why!

BELIZE

>They can have ‘dat 40 acres & a damn Mule, but we ain’t givin’ Nigga back.

^Im feelin u playboi….thats shit is mad funny though

EnglandRepresent

‘this topic is unessacary if a white kid calls me a nigga im not gonna fight him but i will tell him to fuck himself however if i was fucking a bad ass white girl i’d let her call me nigga cause that some freaky ass shit, word’ – lmfao! So true. Personally we ain’t use nigga that much in the UK, I’m Afro-Carribean and I got a shit load of white bredren and they sure as hell ain’t gonna call me no nigga. Still if any white dude calls me a nigga they eatin concrete just like if I called a white dude a honky or a cracka I’d expect them to try and beat my ass. Which means Bol, you deserve an ass whoopin for your frequent use of the word cracka.

allnice

If a white dude calls me nigger, then I am going to have a problem with it. I don’t care if he wants to fit in with dudes, that word is off limits until shit gets straightened out between all races living in the US. Until then, they can feel this hip hop and what not, but nigga is a word that was used against us for way to long to make us feel like ass. We flipped the word to empower us, and of course now everyone wants to say it. But they cant, fuck that. They weren’t slaves getting they women raped in front of their eyes. Any old European could come out to the states and get dough, but niggaz didn’t have shit until recently.

I can call these white dudes cracka cause that shit isn’t even a real insult. They don’t feel bad about that at all. They were never oppressed, so cracka is a funny lil slick remark to them. But nigga is a word that came outta slavery that shoulda been banished, but these fucking white fucks use that shit so much even today that black folks had to start using it to take the venom outta the word. Aight, I’m done ranting…..

killabees

Your a fucking goof BOL. sayin white kids cant say nigga, i agree. For you to use the word cracker is fucking hypocritical. your a moron so why not do us a favor and just shut the fuck up.

daytonz finest

bol your a fucking idiot bro just like killabees said what the fuck you doin sayin cracker you big black bitch

thats only directed to bol and only the word bitch is supposed to be offensive but take it as you want it, it could be a lot worse and i wanted it to be…

daytonz finest

by the way u look like one of them black dudes who talks whiter than sin so where the fuck u get off sayin some shit u nerdy ass cracka..

http://XXLmag.com westside story

Well I got a white friend who calls me the n-word its hoe you take it if you feel comfortable with it.We shouldnt call ourselves the n-word anyway.

http://rockthedub.blogspot.com khal

there’s a cracker at my job who slings the word nigga like crack… i want to smack him in the face, but i need the job. got a seed on the way.

on another point, i feel what yer saying about the word “jig”… makes me realize that bol isn’t just shock and thrills.

pop a poppa

there is clearly a difference between the word nigga and nigger. if a white person calls a black person a nigger it is clearly unacceptable and of course it would be ass-whoopin’ time. the world nigger conjures up images of the slave days and from what i’ve heard just another day walkin’ around rural alabama. which is to say its the one of the most degrading words a white person could use. it gets a little bit trickier with the word nigga though. i have been in situations where there are white dudes that are real tight with the black people that they chill with. they are so close that the black people actually call the white person nigga. if you weren’t looking at skin color you could say that the white dude was just as black as the others. but does this give that white person any leeway when it comes to him callin’ them nigga back when the black people have just called the white person nigga? i don’t think so. i don’t think a white person, no matter how close they may be to black people should use the word nigga. i have seen it happen and the black people that are real close to the white people don’t mind. to me though, it just never looked or sounded right. i think that over the years the word nigga has been thrown around so much that its meaning has changed and it is to the point now that the world nigga is about as hollow and meaningless as a word can be. there is one situation that i could understand a white person sayin’ the word nigga though. when it comes to hip hop music the word nigga is in like every third bar and it is impossible to get through just about any song without hearing it. i think if a white person is just as much into hip-hop as any black hip-hop head then i think it would be acceptable to rap along with the song and say the lyrics. what, is a white person gonna just pause every 10 seconds each song when the word nigga comes up? like are they supposed to say “You might see me in the street
But ‘blank’ you don’t know me/
When ya holla on the speak
Rememba you don’t know me
Save all the hatin and the poppin
‘blank’ you don’t know me/
Quit tellin “blanks” you my partna
‘blank’ you don’t know me”?
i think that’s rediculous. i think white people can say the word nigga if they are rappin’ along with a song because they are not CALLING anyone a nigga, they are just singin’ a song. and besides there would be a whole lots of ‘blanks’ comin’ out they mouths. lol… and bol you brought up tom breihan using the word ninja in his village voice blog. i think its cool for him to use the word nigga in his blog if he is posting the lyrics from a song in his blog. cuz the word nigga ain’t comin’ from him and he ain’t CALLING nobody a nigga. as long as he don’t say the word nigga at any other time i think its cool. but can a white mc ever use the word nigga in their raps? hell no! that is unacceptable. if eminem ever used the word nigga in his raps he would catch so much shit. i think he found that out when everybody heard those old tapes of racist bile he used to make. but what about latino rappers that use the word nigga? like fat joe? mr. terror squad uses the word nigga all the time. i personally think that shit needs to stop. there is no way that shit needs to come out his mouth. i think someone needs to call him on and other latinos on that. all i can say is that the only people that it is acceptable to call someone else their nigga is a black person. straight up. no matter if its your friend and you’re white or latino. but i must say bol, for someone that calls white people crackas in his blog every day your opinion on this subject doesn’t matter one bit.

^^^
ALLNICE Says:
i can call these white dudes cracka cause that shit isn’t even a real insult. nigga is a word that came outta slavery that shoulda been banished.

umm, how do you know that isn’t a real insult. all i can say is that if a black person don’t like bein’ called a nigga by a white person then why do you think its ok to call a white person cracka? you should know that cracker also came outta slavery and is also used to try to degrade another person’s race. basically anything that is purposefully used to discount an entire people’s race should not be tolerated.

Wu-Tang Warrior

I guess this is comment probably echos the thoughts of of the sane/sober people who responded to this… but I don’t think people have any right to use a racist word outside of their ethnic backgrounds no matter WHAT the situation. Whether you’re having problems with that person, you’re friends with that person, whatever. If I’m having problems with someone of Hispanic descent I’m not gonna single out his whole fuckin race and call him a ‘spic’. That’s unfair, rude and flat-out ignorant. I’m black, so on the occasion I’ll drop the n-bomb and use it with my black friends (I don’t do it nearly as often as I used to). When it’s among people of the same ethnicity it’s different. Obviously I’m not going to go up to some random black guy I don’t even know and call him a ‘nigga,’ but when it’s with a close friend of the same ethnicity, then it’s NOT neccessarily the same thing as someone that’s NOT of African American descent saying it to someone who is. Now I’m not saying that black people should just throw it around 24/7, since that’s clearly what’s given non-blacks the idea that it’s alright for them to say it. Bottom line – you wouldnt be too happy if another person used a racist word towards you so you shouldnt use one towards anyone else either. In my opinion it was just as bad for Bol to refer to a caucasian person a ‘cracka-ass cracka’. No matter how ‘racist’ you may think he or she may be you are still singling out a whole race and that’s just not right. Everyone is their own person. Everyone is different. Everyone has feelings and emotions. You can’t judge people by race because we are all equal….. At least that’s just what I think.

killabees

pop a poppa i fuckin co sign that shit^^.

Meka Soul

>I dont get it. I dont see nothing wrong with saying hey whats up my nigga, as long as you and that person got that kind of relationship.>

a brief history on why it’s a controversial term for those who don’t think it’s a problem…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigger

personally, i think most white people think it’ll make them seem cool to say it. stupid jigs.

aram

sup… i’m fron senegal
me skin is really really dark….
and in case somebody would come
up 2 me and call me a nigga.
no matter he’s white, black, asian or whateva. i would kick his ass…
fuck we live in the 21st century there’s no point of using that terrible word

bol

Sorry for this shitty article but I only get paid $7 a week.

Hooligan

I’m white and frankly find other white people using the term ‘nigga’ pathetic. You’re white and no matter how much street slang you talk you’ll always be white. It’s like these dicks are trying so hard to sound black to be ‘accepted’ by their black peers. Be yourself, people will always respect you for that, it is possible to represent without mimicking everything black dudes say and do – that goes for all you Latins and Asians too, stay true to your own culture within hip-hop, everyone can co-exist in this shit.

fosterakahunter

Cats here in Chicago, from PRs, to white kids, to Mexicans, use the n-word, I suppose as some “Hip-Hop” related lingo. I’m not down with it anymore. I NEVER hear these muhfu@#az addresing each other with the slurs that are, unfortunately, synonymous with their own ethnic groups. I’m ot down with this sh@t anymore. Hip-Hop has caused these kids to believe that nonsense they viewed in the film, ‘Black and White’. It’s time to put a foot down and put that sh@t to bed. Fa’ real.

shadygroove

i use the word nigga when im talking to my homies and they cool with it. they see me as one of them and dont really give a fuck if i say it. i dont go around saying it to other people that i dont know because tht’d be disrespectful. thats the way i look at it

what the f*ck yall NIGGAZ talk about
ì`m so white as white can be and all my niggaz r callin me nigga…
can they say it cause there black but visaversa i`m a racist
f*ck that shit…
stop feelin pitty for yourself
if somebody got bad intentions wit it you will notice it soon enough right
when i call a nigga a nigga i don`t mean anything wrong wit it
maybe your the fuckin racist wit your cracka ass cracka

http://www.xxlmag.com wesley

by the way
don`t mind my english
i`m from Holland
if you got a comment
speak dutch……..

Sweet James Jones

A lot of white kids grow up around niggaz and they hear they word so much that by the time their in high school,”its nigga dis and nigga dat”. And niggaz that KNOW them don’t give a fuck because they grew with them, They KNOW them.I bet you when the cameras are off and when Eminem and D12 are off they little purple pills and or whateva the fuck, back in Detroit, he probably be calling them every nigga name in the book And they aint trippin off that shit cause they like brothers. Same goes for Paul Wall with the Swishahouse and Bubba Sparxx with Purple Ribbon.

Smoke Sumthing bitches

D

Look like paul moony said
“The Black Race is the most copied race bar non…….err body wants to be a nigga but no 1 wants to b a nigga” lol

http://lol cindy

i have always wanted to voice my opinion on this subject. sometimes that is all we can do. let me first state that i am from Canada, and yes i am white (sort of), so now you know where i am coming from. I didn’t grow up on the streets – hell do we even have them up here?? ;o) i grew up like a lot of Canadians, in a small town buried deep in the middle of northern woods. I left when i was 16, and never went back. I did not grow up seeing many different races, where we were there were whites and there were native Indians. the latter suffered racist comments, slurs and poor judgement. I am part Indian, and was raised with a respect for the original peoples of this nation.

but now i am in my 30s, have two sons who love hip-hop, met and be-friended many people of all races, and try to teach my sons to be colour blind. i will not tolerate ANY racist comments in my house what’s so ever.

but as you say it is in the music they listen too, the idols they look up to all say it. i explain to them the difference, my girl Geneva, who is stationed here from Alabama has explained it to them, but i worry that when they are out with their friends, acting like their idols they are using the dreaded n-word. i grew up learning that that was the worse word to use. it was given to degrade the black race back in the days of slavery, it dehumanized a whole people in order to ease the consciences of the white men who were enslaving them!

As a woman, i understand taking back a word, turning it around to empower you, but you can not erase the past. hell racism still exist! and you say that there is a gray area?? it is ok for you to call each other that, but hmmmm should the whites be able to???

of course not, no one should in my opinion! but neither should you be calling us ‘cracka-ass cracka’, whatever that means. we are not colour blind if we have to say things like that to describe each other. should i have said instead that my girl Geneva, was black and from Alabama? does it change who she is? maybe it does, maybe we cannot truly be colour blind. the fact that i am white changes where i am coming from. changes how the next person who reads this views my opinion…. Whether anything I just said causes offence to someone…

so what do we call each other? is there word that doesn’t change? in fashion one year, offensive the next? we are constantly stumbling over ourselves trying to say the right word, and up here it takes longer for the news to reach us, so we end up using last years ‘cool’ word, and offending someone!

Remember this is only my opinion, I’m just a mom who is trying to teach her boys to be colour-blind, love everyone as equals, respect all for diversity they bring, in a generation where hip-hop is all that, and the n-word is used by most the artist they hear.

Tom

Im white and I never use that word except when Im rapping along with a song and I might say it, but thats about it. Otherwise, I believe its a no no. But also , you come off like a huge hypocrite by saying “cracka ass cracka” and “cracka”, I find that kinda lame, like why you gotta say “cracka”, I’m not some fukking honkey? what part of the game is that bol?

Fernando

Bol is an entertaining retard who props up the Beastie Boys as one of the greatest groups ever. Take his racial slurs with the same seriousness you would give Carrot Top talking about politics. He also looks like an overgrown brown fetus with some homo glasses.

CASTRO RANX

I worked in a firm in syossett, long island….and there were like 200 white guys there….and you had your group that loves rap music, and the look of hip hop..their ringers are all rap music, and they let the phones ring loud and shit….While working, i heard this guy(white) call this black guy… nigga. It was obviously out of love, but i don’t like that shit. And dude aint know how to put the hood grammar in it’s context. He’s putting adjectives in front of the word like…’the white nigga’ or that black nigga. Son just wanted to be down, this aint the way. It’s a very hard thing. I almost passed out. Then this kid sat rite by me and started talkin that nigga shit too. He saw I was ready to jump on him. And they white boss, looked like he had a problem with niggas(in reality niggers. This word is a HUGE FUCKING PROBLEM, NOW WHITE PEOPLE FEEL IT’S ALL GOOD CAUSE YOU CHANGE THE LETTERS AT THE END OF THE WORD, NAH….SHIT DON’T GO DOWN LIKE THAT. We have all perpetuated this word, cause there are like a handful of kids that grew up in my hood, and we love them to death. we always say”he white, but thats my nigga” Everyone needs to just stop sayin the word. But that is not realistic. This word is just a huge problem…why dont everyone go around callin eachother honkeys, or chinks, or arabs, or jews….Yo what up my JEW! what up my GUIDO!

http://xxlmag.com GhostFace

eeh eh Fernando
i couldn`t agree more
Bol is a fagget….
he loves 2 discriminate but call him a NIGGA and he starts 2 wine
is this normal what these white kids say these days
fuck off BOl…
u try 2 be smart but instead you sound like a low class nigga
punk ass fag

B

im white, and i usually strictly avoid usin the word, even stoppin my speech cause sometimes it would almost seem to come naturally. the problem of it comes up cause i chill a lot wit large groups of black people, and they will repeatedly call me “nigga” like any other person in the group. a couple times it has slipped out of my mouth cause if im hearin it addressed to me so often it just becomes natural to say it back. but i would never say it under any other circumstances. when i did use it nobody even noticed

cacapoopoo

what do coons and apples have in common? they both look pretty hangin from a tree!

krwulff

If a black dude calls a non black dude nigga, is it okay for the non black dude to respond likewise?

If rappers are going to rely on their white fanbase for the majority of their record sales, and then repeatedly drop the n bomb on said records, do they really have a right to bitch about white kids using the word?

What’s up with asians using ‘nigga’?

pat

I’m white and haven grown up on hip hop. I currently work in an office that is 90% staffed black, my old roomate was black as well as several of my friends. If I ever dropped the n-bomb i would get my ass kicked/fired; no question. THere is some shit u just don’t say.

The Kid

I’m a white boy, or a “cracka ass cracka”. I call my black friends nigga all the time. I grew up in the hood G. Dont nobody I know got a problem with me using the word nigga…. nigga. See when I use the word nigga I’m not being racist. When you say cracka ass cracka its plain to see what you mean. With that I’ll say FUCK YOU to the author of this article this cracka ass cracka will bust your nigga ass…..

Jamestown

I’m black and I dont say the n- word at all. Matter fact I dont say any racial slurs for any race. Its far 2 degrading to drop bombs like that. I love hip hop but hate that we embrace such a powerful hatefull word such as the n word. I dont see it as a term of endearment at all. Its ignorant. We can say it but they cant. the fuck? Its our word!!! the FUCK? its ignorant 2 claim and take pride in such a word so direspectful to our history and to our people. I dont say it in raps, conversations nuthin. I clock the fuck out on whoever says it regardless race. Its too much drama involved in it so i dont fucks wit it. Peace

http://speedbored.blogspot.com Jay Guevara

Nigga/nigger=ignorant mu’fucka, regardless of race. So, all ya’ll just let the shit go. For example, a lot of you see Bol as an ignorant person, therefore, by this definition (AKA the Boondocks definition, which has more validity than most), he is a nigga…even if he was white as pure virgin snow, or Asian, or whatever.
Holla at me.

The Kid

Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

July 28th, 2006 at 7:31 pm
I’m a white boy, or a “cracka ass cracka”. I call my black friends nigga all the time. I grew up in the hood G. Dont nobody I know got a problem with me using the word nigga…. nigga. See when I use the word nigga I’m not being racist. When you say cracka ass cracka its plain to see what you mean. With that I’ll say FUCK YOU to the author of this article this cracka ass cracka will bust your nigga ass…..

http://UG-RS.com Tyler

Since ya’ll wanna talk slick and shit. Cryin’ and moaning and going about it: THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM ALL THE NIGGAS 2 ALL THE WHITE PEOPLE

ALL THA’ NIGGAS OF THE WORLD HAD A BIG MEETING EARLIER 2 NITE AND WE HAVE DECIDED. . . ‘DAT U WHITE PEOPLE CAN FEEL FREE TO USE THE N- WORD ALL YOU WANT.
JUST BE PREPARED 2 PICK YOUR TEETH UP OFF THE GROUND OR LOSE FUCKIN’ EYE.

22nd

Here’s a thought. How bout you stop sayin’ the work cracker, then people may take you serious.

DJ

I think that the “N” Word should not be used by any race. Period. If being lynched and enslaved is something you wanna embrace by using the N Word then you need to wake the fuck up and get with the program. Nigger is not a good thing to say. It doesnt matter with a GGA or ER ending. You are still bringing yourselves back to the lynching days and segregation days by using that torwards one another. So stop using the fucking word, so this fucking debate can be finished. Visit this link > http://www.abolishthenword.com

DJ

AND FOR THE RECORD. If black people dont wanna be called “nigger or nigga” by white people then stop calling us crackers. What makes it ok for your race to disgrace mine with that stupid shit?

http://brandonusnavyyahoo.com Draper

Yeah I understand what that Latino dude was sayin’ in a previous comment. I’m in the U.S Navy and I hear white people say rascist shit to them everyday…and they really don’t stand up for themselves. If I ever heard one of those bitch ass motherfuckers say anything rascist not even toward me I’m beaten the shit out of em period…No it’s not okay for white people to say it

Southern Soldier

Damn Good Discussion I see everybody’s point of view. Need more like it.
And Uhm…Last 4 now

Southern Soldier

Damn Good Discussion I see everybody’s point of view. Need more like it.
And Uhm…Last 4 now

krwulff

okay okay, but I reserve the right to sing “Can A Nigga Get a Table Dance” in the shower.

Blk Lynch Mobb

See this all boils down to white people wantin to be black. Always rapin our culture and shit. Face it people, in the 21st century the coolest thing the be is black. Little white suburban mufucks associate being black with being a rebel to the system. Thats all I got to say. I’ll skin a muthafucka. That goes for Eminem and any other white boy who think that they “hood”. Ya’ll some fuckin lames for even glorifying having a “hood” mentality. Stupid ass white boys. I hate a mufucka that try to pretend they black.

TheinfamousR

White people are generic and just wanna be like us. They need to quit. Everybody wanna be a nigga…but nobody wants to be a nigga!!!

Lefty 2Gunz

I didn’t even read the post and I may be missing something but off the title alone all I have to say is
HELL THE F#CK NO!!!!!!!

NO EXCEPTIONS PERIOD!!
If you cool you might(& I stress might) get checked on it the 1st time but after that!! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!

Prepare for, at the bare minimum getting the last 2 yrs of your life slapped out you!!

all i know is that when i lived down south anybody who used the n-word and was not black wound up black,blue, and red. I know black people shouldnt use it either but hey thats just the way it is.

Tago

Due to the words history, it is and will always be out of place to be referred to as a Nigga/Nigger by White folks, and any Black anywhere in the world is setting a very bad example to other Black folk by allowing themselves to be labeld as such.

Its got nothing to do with not having a racist bone in your body like J-Love or J Live. White folks need to know their place when it comes to that word.

How does the word Nigga on a rap record give somebody white the right to use it. It dont make no sense.

Thats like sayin when U see a movie and U hear a white guy say it, that that also give u the permission to use the word. No I dont care wheather or not its bein’ said in a different context, as when, lets say a Tupac says it, no. Cuz Pac wasnt talkin about no White Dude when he wrote Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

And as long as Racism is still very much alive any white dude who claims to be down with Hip Hop can use it interchangebly. I live in Denmark/Europe, and alot of the white kids who like Hip Hop, still have a aloota racist views, and will express em towards any person of colour, and in a heated argument will use that word in order to let U know, this is what U R: A NiGGER – And then all that homie love bullshit flys out the window.
Even Malcolm X told a story of white guy that used to run with em in his early days when the brotha was still pimpin; Now this white dude was like alot of these white dudes who claim to be down (note I didnt say all white guys) with Hip Hop.
Soon enough, this white guy who ran with Malcolm and all the niggaz (or was that Niggers or Negraz), decided one night to ask Malcolms girlfriend at the time, who also happened to be white “Why do U hang with these niggeres”, Malcolms thing was, eventually white folks will let U know what and how they feel about or how they feel about a nigga.
Which brings me to Eminem, this mutha fucka – who XXL had the nerve to label as the greatest rapper alive, when Ludacris is still spittin nat fire (seriously, Ludacris can do what Eminem does with words – and maybe even better. Check the Flow).
Eminem was also down with Hip Hop until some “African-American Ho/ Black Bitch, with thick hips and oversized lips broke his heart – whut did Em then do, he let it all out, And dropped the N-BOMB. Which just goes to show……Oh yeah Em also let it be known in that freestyle that female monkeys, I mean albama female porch monkeys sorry Black Women only want your money cause “they all gold diggin skanks”.

Niggaz need to wake up before it is to late, in the words of the great Benzino.

I Myself give much luv and respect to a nigga like Benzino, for standin up and doin what he did, cause all these so called Gangstaz and hard ass thugs, including the forver more moral/politically and black concious back pack rappers couldnt stand up to a whimp like Slim Lady in fear of the repurcussions.
But all standing up to Eminems comments, would have done was highten these niggaz popularity in the hood and in the black community not only in the United States but all across the globe – Im talkin Ghetto Saint Tupac like respect. Because Pac stood up and spoke so eloquently about the struggle of Black Folk, he is loved and revered like no other rapper in this world. There is no rapper who iz loved by Black folk outside the states like that Nigga Pac cuz he represented for us, and therefor we could identify with the Brotha.

We all miss rappaz like Pac, at least on the mainstream side of Hip Hop

Corinne

…Not only should white guys keep it out of their mouth but also as for others, none should be hanging out with them, and let me tell you why. I know this guy, mad cool, popular, dressed slick…. Then he started hanging out with the white dudes…not good…. He started saying things like “there’s too many black people”, he started wearing Vans and Old Navy, it was a sad day for me to hear what has happened to my friend. I once hung out with a white guy, yeah ok, I admit it. I was arguing with him about how ignorant he was. He said that the black community tries to be like rappers by dressing like them and such. I said it’s because it’s part of the culture and he disagreed with me. I asked him what would they wear then?…..He said…. *sigh*….. Old Navy, that’s the last time I ever hung out with him or ever hung out with a white guy after that.

http://www.xxlmag.com tys

u fuckin fools need to stop sayin cracker and shit ur lookin sooo stupid cracka is the same thing u bitch ass..seems like u can dish the race card out but u cant take it back

Jason

As a 24 year old white male, I hear white kids calling other white kids nigga. I never hear white kids calling black kids nigga…for obvious reasons. For white kids, it seems like an alternative to “dude” that’s half-serious, half-joking. It’s so prevalent in hip-hop that it’s being emulated by white kids who enjoy the music. Most of the people I know who use it would have enough sense not to use it in earshot of black people because of the offensive nature of the word, even if it’s being used in a harmless, non-racial context. Should white kids use it? No, in my opinion. Do they? Yes, they do. Is it to perpetuate racism? In the cases I’ve observed, no it’s not.

cracka

I agree with some things here, and I disagree with some things here.
Calling a white guy a cracka or honkey, is like calling a nigger a nigga.

AK

surely it’s just as wrong to say crack-ass cracka when talkin about race?

http://www.abolishthenword.com/ J

if u aint black, dont u use the fuckin word period, it doesnt matter how much u want to justify u so called street cred yall crack ass white, latino, and asian cunts better bleach the nword from u slimmy tongue b4 us blk pple pull that shit out with some rusty old pliers.
And from my blk brutha, from the ghettos of america, the favelas of south america, the slums of africa go to check out this site and remeber how much pain the word nigger hashttp://www.abolishthenword.com/

krwulff

Do black kids who grow up in the burbs have the same right to the word as a black kids who grow up in the streets?

http://www.myspace.com/hazepage Kelz aka Farenhype

I’m a journalism/history major (so i’ll probably be working there soon) and i wrote a great blog about it. peep

From personal experience, White people that be themselves get a shitload more respect then wiggers from the burbs do. In fact, An average black crew will go out of there way to embaress a white poser.
So the assumption that Ghostface Killah would simply let it slide when a white man refers to him as a nigga, is not true, Ghostface Killah is one of the most blackest blacks in black nation.

http://xxlmag.com wigga_hata

if u ain’t black u can’t say nigga.if any wannabe black bitch came in my hood and said nigga they would get their fucken head smashed in. be yourselves stop acting black when u are not black.if u like rap and your not black fine, just don’t dress like us and talk like us and don’t rap.

The Kid

I hate Nagers…. cuz their lazy…. and they stink.

LEGEND

YO FUCK BOL HES A HERB BUT HES STRONG WHEN HE ON THE NET U LOOK LIKE LAMAR FROM REVENGE OF THE NERDS U FUCKING BUDDY LEMBECK ASS NIGGA

http://deleted LEGEND

BOL U LOOK LIKE HERB THAT I USED TO MAKE DO MY HOMEWORK SISSY

http://xxlmag.com wigga_hata

yo why u on this site u lil kkk honkey fuck?!?!

http://xxlmag.com wigga_hata

the kid: u must live in the white suburbs that u call a hood, because real crazy muthafucken black dudes would smash yo lil fucken head in u stupid lil honkey fuck.u lil wannabe black bitch.

legend

wigga hata and bol are cpu hard rocs SHUT THE FUCK UP U FUCKING HERBS, SIT ON UR CPU WITH A FIST IN THE AIR .

http://xxlmag.com wigga_hata

fuck up u lil honkey bitch

http://xxlmag.com wigga_hata

LEGEND u a punk bitch

legend

WIGGA U AND UR POPS CHILL AT THE BLUE OYSTER IN LEATHER JACKETS. ANYWAY I DONT HAVE NO MORE TIME FOR CHEERLEADERS OF THIS BAMBI ASS BOL. WIGGA WATCH ROSEWOOD

http://xxlmag.com skinheadbob

WHY DON’T YOU NIGGERS AND NIGGER LOVERS BOTH SHUT THE FUCK UP.WHITE POWER!

I’m white, but I don’t give a crap about the word cracka or whatever. The reason “nigger” is so bad is because theres a histroy of violence and torment behind it. Wheres the history behind “cracka”. I don’t really think theres any comparison between the two, and I think white people who complain about terms like honky and cracka are being stupid. Anyway here in London, black people don’t say nigger, even amongst themselves. If an african american guy called a black british guy nigger I think it would be pretty embarassing.

yo take u honky power and stick it up yo daddys ass muthafucka. honky bitch

personal

j-love, yet another white bitch trying to profit off hip hop. dropping “j-love nigga!” every 5 seconds on his whack ass mixtapes. or is he trying to spit, the only way a cracka knows how to spit. fuck racism but that shit is here to stay. fucking inbred rednecks. gotta thank chappelle too for his part.

Detox

Yo Personal…you talking alot of smack…you dont even know what you saying….J-love is my cousin pendejo…you need me to repeat it in spanish..yeah thats right J-love is boricua….born and raised in Queens, Jamaica ave section. He has been dropping it for a minute…and just because he puts his name in his mixtapes you need to stop hating…Thats right J-love nigga

Truth Be Told

Hell To The Fuck Naw It Ain’t OK…dem white muthafuckaz Know Better!!!

a black guy

I think the term “nigger” and “nigga” are offensive and should be eliminated from EVERYONE’S vocabulary. It’s stupid upon black people to still use it and if spoken, disrespecful of any other race. If any of my friends, black or any race, use it I let them know that it offends me and to please refrain from using it. I don’t even say “cracka.” Seriously, what’s the point? Is our vocabulary that limited?

who_these_niggaz_calling_cracka_fuck_that

bol you couldnt beat up ur boss, ur just a retarded nerd

u hate white people so much because they bullied you at ur neeky 85% white school u bitch ass nigga

King Bolo

Why does everyone wanna be black? You say “Black say it, so why can’t we?” Why Does everyone want to do what blacks do?? Mexicans call eachother beaners and wetbacks, you don’t hear black people doing it! White people call thier own trailer trash you don’t hear black people doing it! Then they say ” No I said Nigga, not Nigger, so that means we can say “Beana” not “Beaner” or “Cracka” not “Cracker”

gipsy

ok im cuban …. i got a question why do black people flip the fuk ou wene u say nigga but thene if they say somthing stupid like craka or somthing to you and you say somthing back all of a soudin you have like 10 black guys standing around ur ass about to beat the fuk out of you i mean thats no fukking far i mean its a double standard a black person can say a racist comment but wene a white person ses it its wrong wats the point ???

im hispanic and i call my black friends nigga cuz they my homies and vice versa. i cant really say much about it. spanish teens throw the dreaded n-word around like black people too, so for me i dont think about it too much.

and shit im one of the light skinned cracka lookin peruvian kids in my school, but i call my black friends nigga. even if i dont know you, namsayin?

black and brown pride i guess. we gotta stick together. spic or nig, its one love

Demi

“…in the cover when I got to thinking about cracka-ass crackas who call their black friends nigga.”

Why’s it ok to call a white person a cracka but they can’t toss the n-word at you?

RotterdamSoldier.

because of the history of the n-word you dumb fuck….where is the history behind the word cracker?But on the real…i think we as black ppl should stop using that word and then we’ll see if white ppl continue to use it

Casserville

aye king bolo is rite..i think-actually i know that only black people shud use da word but to a certain limit..Errbody wanna say it now–damn foolz.

a_loco

i’ll stop calling people nigga if you stop calling people crackas, its the same thing really.

BklynBandette

And Look @ Where We Are Now!

Big Jay

Isn’t it racist to be told I can’t say something because I’m white?

Rap music is enjoyed by more white people than black people anymore. So if you want white people to quit saying the word, especially these “I live and breathe hip hop and my black friends understand where I’m coming from when I say it” white kids, don’t give them any examples of the word anymore. Stop saying it, if you want others to stop.

To Wigga Hata:

Do white people get mad when black people want to play rock music? Do white people tell black people not to try to sing for a metal band?

I’ve never understood the distinction between white music and black music, because from what I understand about the history of music in America (I’m a music major, about to finish my degree), modern music today is an intertwining of European (white for the simple minded) harmonies and African rhythms.

The music that everyone listens to today is based on the integration of two musical cultures, so why do our artists have to be of a certain race to do certain styles of music? Riddle me that.